V – The Series (1984) – The Overlord, and The Dissident

While Julie (Faye Grant) confronts allegations of treason, Donovan (Marc Singer), Elias (Micheal Wright) and Tyler (Micheal Ironside) could be walking into a trap when they agree to help a small mining town take on some Visitor backed villains.

The Overlord was written by David Abramowitz, and first aired on 30 November, 1984.

The town the trio find themselves in is supposedly still infected with the red dust but Visitors are supplying thugs with weaponry to cause pain and strife, and slowly tear the town apart. But who is the person, Glenna (Sheryl Lee Ralph) truly behind it, and what sort of double-cross is going to put Donovan and company in trouble?

Julie faces the charges of allegation from Nathan Bates (Lane Smith) the CEO of Science Frontiers when arms shipments from the company have been intercepted a number of times over the past month, and Bates and Mr. Chang (Aki Aleong) believe the young scientist is responsible. But will they be able to prove it?

Recognizable character actor Micheal Champion plays one of the baddies of the episode.

The episode also expands a little bit on the religious side of the Visitors as an apparition appears to a Visitor who seeks redemption, and the name Xon is mentioned.

But don’t worry there is plenty of time for melodrama in the form of Robin (Blair Tefkin) and her need for attention, and her self-pitying, which causes a blow-up between her and Julie. Oh, and of course there’s some silly young love stuff featuring Kyle (Jeff Yagher) and Elizabeth (Jennifer Cooke).

The Dissident was written by Paul F. Edwards and first aired on 7 December, 1984.

Diana (Jane Badler) installs a force field around Los Angeles trapping members of the resistance inside it, and keeping the rest of the world out. It will be up to Donovan and Tyler to figure a way out – and that’s to kidnap the Visitor genius that designed it.

Kidnap him right out from under Diana, on the mothership! Not much in the way of security I guess.

The Visitor who designed it, Jacob (John McLiam), is a bit of a pacifist, and the oldest alien we’ve seen first. Apparently he helped create a large part of the Visitor tech.

And melodrama arises when Robin reveals to Elizabeth that she is in love with Kyle, despite the fact that Kyle and Elizabeth are at the beginning of their own romantic relationship. Ugh. Silly triangle.

There are lots of fighter sequences reused as Tyler and Donovan escape the mothership with Jacob, and it’s disappointing that they tried to cut so many corners with sequences like that. I get that the series was expensive but without the creation of new sequences, it just looks cheap.

Sadly, a lot of it does look cheap, which is insane considering the cost per episode.

There is an attempt to add more mysticism to Elizabeth’s Mark of Xon and her powers, and if it hadn’t been there before the series ends up in campy bad sci-fi, as opposed to science fiction with a message.

But that won’t stop the battle for Earth from continuing next week as I fight alongside the Resistance in V- The Series!